Help a noob hook up a wireless repeater

[Nabis]

I have a TP-Link TL-WR841N, and I'm quite certain it is possible to hook up as a wireless repeater (client bridge), but it appears my settings aren't jiving between the two routers. I have a Linksys WRT150N (Router #1) running as the main router, and I would like to wireless bridge the TP-Link (Router #2) to it to expand my wireless coverage.
I'm running the stock firmware, and I'd like to keep it that way, as I'm pretty sure it's possible with it, and I don't want to risk bricking either router in the process. Beyond that, DD-WRT isn't even available on the 841, because it's a ver.8.
Router #2 has a WDS bridge setting, and I can see Router #1 when I use the survey function. I've tried messing with the LAN IP's, making sure the channels are the same, and turning off DHCP on router #2, turning off all security, but it appears that the two won't connect to each other, so I think I'm just not understanding which IP settings go where.
Router #1 has DHCP on, and the IP of it is the default linksys 192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.100-149). What does the router #2 settings need to look like to get internet thru it? Do I need to have something in the virtual server of router #2?

 

[anhikilator]

If your objective is to extend the range of router #1, what you can do is to setup the #2 router as a repeater. Of course, each router has different interfaces but basically, what you have to do, once the router is setup as a repeater, find the other network, assign the same or a different SID and password (this is up to you) and that's it.

 

[Mod-R]

The TP-Link, to my knowledge, does not offer Repeater/AP modes. Perhaps it is still possible to use it, though, but I wouldn't know how. What I do know, for selling the brand, is that TP-Link is not the best to configure with other brands, nor to handle specific networks (such as working well in a Mac environment, for example). I avoided ordering them for quite some time, and went with Asus instead. The RT-N12 is cheap, efficient, hassle-free, and does have a switch to go Repeater or AP. I'm using one with my RT-N53 as a repeater right now without any problem. I don't remember having to mess with the settings to do so, but of course I'm within the same brand.

 

[Nabis]

Thanks for the suggestions.
To anhikilator, that's exactly where I'm stuck - After WDS bridging to router #1, internet won't come thru, hence why I think it's a gateway IP issue.
The sucky thing is this is a ver.8 of the router, and it's not supported yet by DD-WRT, and everything prior to v8, people have success with doing exactly what I'm trying to do (with DD-WRT, OpenWRT, Gargoyle, etc).
I was just thinking that the stock firmware could handle this.

 

[Mod-R]

Instead of trying to bridge it to your actual network, you could perhaps create an whole new network trying to include the TP in it from the start, and see how that goes. Just a thought.

 

[Nabis]

Here's where my noobishness comes out. I'm not sure what you're referring to when you suggest that I include the TP-Link into the network from the start. I'm more than willing to do what you suggest in that manner, if I knew what you're referring to, unless you're saying have the TP as the "primary" (router #1), which I'm cool with trying, but I'm still not sure how that would solve anything.

 

[Mod-R]

I'm not that far from being noobish myself. All I was thinking was, sometimes it's harder trying to bridge to a network that has been set up and running for some time. Setting up a new network would perhaps reveal some way to work around the problem you're having.

 

[Omsion]

Haven't done this before, but hopefully my short googling is of help

Apparently for WDS, you need to have both routers set to WDS. So primary needs to have WDS turned on and linked to secondary as well (I don't think you've done this).

Give both the exact same wireless settings (SSID, mode, channel, security, etc).
Disable WAN/DHCP on secondary.
Set DNS of secondary to the IP of primary.

Hopefully that works for you.

 

[Nabis]

Apparently for WDS, you need to have both routers set to WDS. So primary needs to have WDS turned on and linked to secondary as well (I don't think you've done this).

Give both the exact same wireless settings (SSID, mode, channel, security, etc).
Disable WAN/DHCP on secondary.
Set DNS of secondary to the IP of primary.

I don't think the WRT150N is WDS capable without DD-WRT, so I think that's where I'll be stuck.

 

[anhikilator]

One additional though. You keep mentioning bridge. If you are using bridge functions keep in mind that to be able to bridge to devices they have to be separate / different networks. So, if that's your objective make sure the ips of each device correspond to different networks, for instance one router will be 192.168.1.1 and the other one 10.0.0.1.

If you want to extend the range, the repeater is the function you need. Alternatively, if you just want an access point to your net, you could have a different sid in the second one but they devices have to be wired together and that's not always possible.

 

[gangaskan]

just keep in mind, in repeater mode your bandwidth is cut in half per client, more depending on if you have other repeaters in the mix.


its best to hard wire (if possible) your node to the network and make the router a switched device.